> > > Brits like to make fun of those they are closest to. It is not unusual for Brits to routinely insult each other as a form of greeting. Bizarre maybe, but true.
>
> We have the same thing here in New Zealand, inherited from Britain no doubt. However, we also have actual genuine insulting behaviour, and it's still very easy for us to tell which is which.


I've never been offended by the British. I guess I've watched so much PBS TV I've learned how they think. And maybe it's my English ancestory. Or maybe it's my southern upbringing. Unless you live in the South, you wouldn't believe how much misinformation is out there. For example, would you believe that I wear shoes? What would you think if I said I didn't have a hound dog, and that if I did, I wouldn't let him sleep on the front porch? My mother never smoked a pipe. My truck doesn't have four-wheel drive. I don't live in a trailer. I don't drink white lightning or Jack Daniels. I didn't marry my cousin. The street in front of my house is paved. I've been further than Atlanta. I don't own a pair of overalls. I don't have any chickens, and I don't eat them, either. Never tasted chitlins. I never put a prefix on the word "Yankee." I don't discriminate against people who look different. I don't have two first names. I never wear a straw hat or a cap that says "Cat" on it. I prefer spinach over collard greens. After 2nd grade, I went on to the 3rd. Can't ride a horse. I mow my grass, because I don't have a goat. There are no old cars up on blocks in my yard. Our bathroom is inside the house. I don't get offended because the above surprises some people. I may laugh my head off, but I don't get offended.
How"I eat grits."ard